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The Malthusian Trap and Development in Pre-Industrial Societies: A View Differing from the Standard One

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  • Tisdell, Clem
  • Svizzero, Serge

Abstract

Presents a simple economic theory explaining how some agriculturally based preindustrial societies (for example, in the Neolithic period) developed despite most of their population being subject to Malthusian dynamics. Their development depended on a dominant class (limited in size) extracting the economic surplus which could be used (among other things) to accumulate capital and advance knowledge and thereby, add to this surplus. Cities facilitated this process. Extraction of the surplus prevented increased population from dissipating it and curtailing development. Several early extractive and non-inclusive societies were long lasting. This is at odds with the theories of some contemporary development economists.

Suggested Citation

  • Tisdell, Clem & Svizzero, Serge, 2015. "The Malthusian Trap and Development in Pre-Industrial Societies: A View Differing from the Standard One," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 197551, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uqsese:197551
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.197551
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    1. Tisdell, Clement A., 2001. "Globalisation, Development and Poverty in the Pacific Islands: The Situation of the Least Developed Pacific Island Nations," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100208, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    2. Milanovic, Branko & Lindert, Peter & Williamson, Jeffrey, 2007. "Measuring Ancient Inequality," MPRA Paper 5388, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    4. Quamrul Ashraf & Oded Galor, 2011. "Dynamics and Stagnation in the Malthusian Epoch," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2003-2041, August.
    5. Tisdell, Clement A. & Roy, Kartik C. & Ghose, Ananda, 2002. "A Report on Socioeconomic Attributes and Gender Inequality in Kondh-Dominated Villages: A Comparative Analysis of Tribals and Non-Tribals in the Phulbani District, Orissa, India," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100213, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    6. Hossain, Mohammad & Tisdell, Clement A., 2003. "Fertility and Female Work Force Participation in Bangladesh: Causality and Cointegration," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 106947, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    7. Tisdell, Clement A., 2000. "The Development of the Solomon Islands: An Analysis of Trends, Issues and Policies," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100033, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    8. K.C. Roy & C.A. Tisdell, 2002. "Property rights in women’s empowerment in rural India: a review," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(4), pages 315-334, April.
    9. Tisdell, Clement A., 2000. "The Development of Kiribati: An Analysis of Trends, Issues and Policies," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100031, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    10. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2009. "Inequality in Landownership, the Emergence of Human-Capital Promoting Institutions, and the Great Divergence," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(1), pages 143-179.
    11. Kiriti, Tabitha & Tisdell, Clement A., 2003. "The Relationship between Commercial Agriculture and Food Availability to Kenyan Farm Families: A Case Study," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 105585, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    12. Kiriti, Tabitha & Tisdell, Clement A., 2003. "Commercialisation of Agriculture in Kenya: Case Study of Policy Bias and Food Purchases by Farm Households," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 105584, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    13. Tisdell, Clement A. & Roy, Kartik C., 2009. "Gender Issues in Rural Eastern India Revealed by Field Interviews: Tribal and Non-Tribal Responses," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 123549, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    14. Tisdell, Clement A., 2000. "The Development of Tuvalu: An Analysis of Trends, Issues and Policies," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100034, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    15. Clem Tisdell & Gopal Regmi, 2005. "Prejudice against female children: economic and cultural explanations, and Indian evidence," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(6), pages 541-553, June.
    16. Tisdell, Clement A. & Regmi, Gopal, 2004. "Economic Social and Cultural Influences on the Status and Wellbeing of Indian Rural Wives," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 106952, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    17. Tisdell, Clement A. & Regmi, Gopal, 2000. "Push-and-Pull Migration and Satisficing versus Optimising Migratory Behaviour: A Review and Nepalese Evidence," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100205, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    18. Mohammad A. Hossain & Clement A. Tisdell, 2005. "Closing the gender gap in Bangladesh: inequality in education, employment and earnings," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(5), pages 439-453, May.
    19. Tabitha W. Kiriti & Clem Tisdell, 2005. "Family size, economics and child gender preference: a case study in the Nyeri district of Kenya," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(6), pages 492-509, June.
    20. Maddison, Angus, 2007. "Contours of the World Economy 1-2030 AD: Essays in Macro-Economic History," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199227204.
    21. Tisdell, Clement A. & Roy, Kartik C. & Regmi, Gopal, 2000. "Socioeconomic Determinants of the Intra-family Status of Wives in Rural India: Analysis and Empirical Evidence," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100206, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    22. Hossain, Mohammad A. & Tisdell, Clement A. & Ayon, Tonmoyee Hasan, 2012. "Does Workforce Participation Empower Women? Micro-Level Evidence from Urban Bangladesh," Bangladesh Development Studies, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), vol. 35(3), pages 51-78, September.
    23. Clement A. Tisdell, 2013. "Competition, Diversity and Economic Performance," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13026.
    24. Moepeng, Pelotshweu T. & Tisdell, Clement A., 2008. "Associations between Poverty and Socio-economic Variables in a Typical Tswana Rural Village: New Insights," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 123546, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    25. Tisdell, Clement A., 2000. "Gender Inequality in India: Evidence from a Rural Survey in West Bengal," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100037, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    26. Tabitha W. Kiriti, Clem Tisdell, Kartik C. Roy, 2003. "Female participation in decision making in agricultural households in Kenya: empirical findings," International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(2), pages 103-124.
    27. Galor, Oded, 2005. "From Stagnation to Growth: Unified Growth Theory," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 4, pages 171-293, Elsevier.
    28. Tisdell, Clement A., 1999. "Poverty and Economically Deprived Women and Children: Theories, Emerging Policy Issues and Development," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 90632, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    29. Kiriti, Tabitha & Tisdell, Clement A., 2002. "Gender, Marital Status, Farm Size and other Factors Influencing the Extent of Cash Cropping in Kenya: A Case Study," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 102261, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    30. Kiriti, Tabitha & Tisdell, Clement A., 2003. "Marital Status, Farm Size and other Influences On the Extent of Cash Cropping in Kenya: A Household Case Study," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 105586, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    31. Tisdell, Clement A. & Roy, Kartik C. & Ghose, Ananda, 2002. "Economic Theories of the Family and Discrimination in a Social Context: Entitlements of Kondh Tribal Females in India," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100214, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    32. Tisdell, Clement A., 2000. "Sustainable Development and Human Resource Capital," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100036, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    33. Mohammad, Hossain & Tisdell, Clement A., 2003. "Major Demographic Changes in Bangladesh and their Socio-economic Correlates: Analysis of Trends," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 106950, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    34. Kiriti, Tabitha & Tisdell, Clement A., 2001. "Migration of Husbands, Remittances and Agricultural Production: Impacts when Wives Head Households in Rural Kenya," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100211, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    35. Gregory Clark, 2007. "Introduction to A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World," Introductory Chapters, in: A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World, Princeton University Press.
    36. Kiriti, Tabitha & Tisdell, Clement A., 2003. "Gender Inequality, Poverty and Human Development in Kenya: Main Indicators, Trends and Limitations," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 105587, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    37. Tisdell, Clement A. & Roy, Kartik C. & Ghose, Ananda, 1999. "Sen's Theory of Entitlement and the Deprivation of Females: An Assessment with Indian Illustrations," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 91375, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    38. Tisdell, Clement A., 2000. "The Development of Samoa: An Analysis of Trends, Issues and Policies," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100032, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    39. Baker, Matthew & Bulte, Erwin & Weisdorf, Jacob, 2010. "The origins of governments: from anarchy to hierarchy," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(2), pages 215-242, June.
    40. Moepeng, Pelotshweu T. & Tisdell, Clement A., 2008. "Can Subjective Measures for Rapid Assessment of Rural Poverty and Inequality be Useful in Botswana?," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 123547, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    41. Tisdell, Clement A., 2006. "An Assessment of the UN's Millennium Development Goals and its Millennium Declaration," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 123453, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    42. Tisdell, Clement A. & Roy, Kartik C., 2000. "The Socio-Economics of Gender Issues in Rural India: Results of Interviews in Three Villages and a Forest Meeting in Eastern India," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100030, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    43. Tisdell, Clement A., 1993. "Poverty - Dynamic and Sustainability Perspectives Implications for Welfare and Policy with Reference to India," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 106951, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    44. Tisdell, Clement A. & Roy, Kartik C. & Ghose, Ananda, 2001. "Villagers and the Use and Conservation of Indian Forests: The Role of Joint Forest Management," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100207, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    45. Tisdell, Clement A., 2000. "The Development of Vanuatu: An Analysis of Trends, Issues and Policies," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 100035, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    46. Tisdell, Clement A., 2006. "Bangladesh's Performance and the Millennium Development Goals: A Sketch of Progress," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 123454, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    47. North,Douglass C. & Thomas,Robert Paul, 1976. "The Rise of the Western World," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521290999, November.
    48. Tisdell, Clement A., 2006. "Effects of Markets on Poverty and Economic Inequality: Evolutionary and Ethical Perspectives," Social Economics, Policy and Development Working Papers 123543, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
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    Cited by:

    1. Clement Allan Tisdell & Serge Svizzero, 2015. "Rent Extraction, Population Growth and Economic Development: Development Despite Malthus’ Theory and Precursors to the Industrial Revolution," Working Papers hal-02150103, HAL.
    2. Clement Allan Tisdell & Serge Svizzero, 2017. "Optimization Theories of the Transition from Foraging to Agriculture: A Critical Assessment and Proposed Alternatives," Post-Print hal-02145490, HAL.
    3. Tisdell, Clem & Svizzero, Serge, 2016. "Different Behavioral Explanations of the Neolithic Transition from Foraging to Agriculture: A Review," Economic Theory, Applications and Issues Working Papers 229769, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    4. Tisdell, Clem & Svizzero, Serge, 2015. "The Collapse of Some Ancient Societies Due to Unsustainable Mining Development (A Draft)," Economic Theory, Applications and Issues Working Papers 202543, University of Queensland, School of Economics.

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